New hires strengthening genetics research

The effort to assemble a nationally prominent genomics research center at the university is gaining momentum.

The new Genome Center of Wisconsin has hired two big-name faculty in the genomics field, and recruitment is in progress for three more positions. The effort is being supported by a special $1.5 million funding boost last year proposed by Gov. Tommy Thompson and approved by the state legislature.

“This recruitment effort is a landmark for the university,” said Fred Blattner, a genetics professor and director of the new center. “It allows us to attract faculty who are first rate in the field.”

One new hire on board this summer is David Schwartz, a genetics professor from New York University in Manhattan. Schwartz is a national leader in genetic sequencing and developed a high-speed method of mapping entire genomes called optical mapping.

Hiring Schwartz was a major undertaking, Blattner said, since his research team includes about 40 people and he needed roughly 5,000 square feet of laboratory space for his work.

Also hired was Jeffrey Bennetzen, a professor of biological sciences at Purdue University. Bennetzen is a plant geneticist specializing in the genome analysis of corn, sorghum and rice. He will begin in spring 2000.

The new hires complement existing strengths here in genomics. Some significant achievements in DNA sequencing have come from UW–Madison, including Blattner’s complete sequencing of the E. coli genome in 1997 and chemist Lloyd Smith’s influential technology for gene sequencing.

Genomics is one of several concentrations in Chancellor David Ward’s cluster hiring initiative started in 1998. The genomics field is developing the tools to sequence the complete blueprints of life forms, as well as determining the functions of individual genes. It has tremendous potential for identifying and curing genetic diseases and controlling emerging pathogens.